Chapter 178

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“What? ESG Association? That association will evaluate all companies from now on?”

“Yes. It means a private organization will issue company evaluations however they want.”

Private organizations evaluating companies and assigning ratings however they please is already common.

But nobody really cares what they do.

Because they’re not in a weight class that could actually sway companies with just evaluations.

But the ESG association Gwangwoon is creating this time is different in scale from the start.

Starting with the association chairman, all the committee members below have tremendous reputations, and the evaluations they give will definitely exert enormous influence on the market.

“They say all evaluations from the association will be loaded onto the media and SNS that Gwangwoon controls and broadcast directly. It’s a different level of power from evaluations made by regular private organizations.”

That was precisely the problem.

The media that Gwangwoon controls.

What would happen if they gave bad evaluations to certain companies through the media and then advertised constantly?

Brainwashing is simpler than you’d think.

Just continuously expose similar stories through the media.

Even if people don’t believe it at first, if the content keeps coming out, at some point they come to believe it.

“But the word going around is fifty-fifty. Some say the impact will be enormous, while others say it won’t be very effective.”

“What stupid talk. This is like Michelin. They assign ratings however they like. If someone says a place got good stars from Michelin, wouldn’t you understand even if the prices are high?”

“That’s… true.”

“It’s the same thing. Right now they might think it won’t be very effective, but if Gwangwoon pushes with the power of media, people will start checking the ESG association’s evaluations before any government agency’s evaluations from now on.”

French President Perong was worried about exactly that.

“That means the ESG association will become the standard for evaluating companies, and companies that Gwangwoon marks will have their evaluations sent to rock bottom, and even if they’re good companies, nobody will invest in them, and customers won’t use them either.”

Just because they were seen unfavorably by Gwangwoon.

“Are we just supposed to watch Gwangwoon’s disgusting antics?”

“……”

Some might say that surely a company’s image won’t change just because of that.

“That’s exactly what Gwangwoon is aiming for. Making everyone let their guard down so they accept this ESG association, then exerting overwhelming influence before long. If we leave this alone, Gwangwoon will control all companies from now on.”

To Perong’s eyes, it was already clear what blueprint Gwangwoon was drawing.

“This is just the beginning. Putting leashes on them in the name of company evaluation, and then seeking to control nations and governments too. that’s Gwangwoon’s conspiracy.”

That’s why the ESG association’s free activities needed to be stopped.

“Convey France’s position to the ESG association. And alert the EU to this problem too! This isn’t just us. this is an issue that needs to be firmly checked at the national level.”

“Yes, I’ll convey it immediately.”

“Ah, and how are the negotiations with the protesters going?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the power of the protesters has decreased a lot compared to before. We’re calming them down with ongoing negotiations.”

President Perong had an image of himself that he dreamed of.

That was being the president who brought reform to France.

So what he touched for France’s reform was pensions.

Perong pushed for pension reform that no other politician could touch, but there was no small backlash.

Already over one million citizens had taken to the streets to protest, and bloodshed had occurred in clashes with police.

Still, he wouldn’t budge.

So even if the protesters made noise, he ignored them all.

He knew that with time, the protesters’ power would naturally weaken.

“I need to show that I won’t be shaken by such incitement from the opposition. Right? And next year is the Paris Olympics. Tell them to pass it quickly so it doesn’t interfere with the Olympics. Then the protesters will disperse on their own from feelings of helplessness.”

***

Today, unlike usual, I spent more time in front of the mirror.

I was practicing the prepared congratulatory address multiple times while facing forward.

“This isn’t easy.”

But because it’s something I have to do, and because I can’t make mistakes, I finished my final check.

Then I went down to where the employees were waiting, and there was someone else waiting for me there.

“Huh? Why are you here, Hyung-nim?”

“Hehe, why else? I’m here to make an entrance with you.”

Somehow, standing side by side with Hyung-nim, I felt the tension that had been building up relax a bit.

“Thinking about giving a congratulatory speech in front of all those distinguished figures makes me really nervous.”

“Well, you’d be nervous. This is a celebration of the ESG association’s establishment. Plus, didn’t all those people come all the way to this faraway country to see your face?”

“To see me?”

“Yeah, you’re the actual decision-maker of our Gwangwoon. Of course they’d want to see you. Huhu.”

“Come on, what are you saying? You’re the final decision-maker, Hyung-nim.”

“Haha. Thanks for at least saying that.”

Soon Hyung-nim and I arrived at the banquet venue.

Since we were borrowing the Gwangwoon Tower’s banquet hall, it was a place we could reach just by taking the elevator.

“The Chairman and President Jeong Jin-ho are entering.”

As the announcement rang out in English, the eyes of everyone gathered in the banquet hall focused on us two.

I was naturally uncomfortable and couldn’t manage my expression, but Hyung-nim seemed very natural, perhaps from attending so many events like this.

Truly befitting the Chairman representing our company.

“Hello.”

“It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

People whose names alone would be recognizable in this industry gathered in one place and sent me countless handshake requests.

I had to sweat hard to return greetings to each one.

“Yes. This is the person who decides everything for Gwangwoon and who created this ESG association to gather people who could never gather in one place.”

But that wasn’t the highlight.

“Now, there will be a congratulatory address from Gwangwoon Securities President Jeong Jin-ho.”

“……”

I took a deep breath in the back and went up to the podium.

My hands were trembling so much that I started regretting creating the ESG association for the first time.

***

The banquet was over, but it was just an official event.

The real event was starting now.

This moment where the figures who had each taken a seat in the ESG association gathered unofficially to talk.

“That person earlier… was him, right?”

“Yes. He decides everything for Gwangwoon and is the one who created this ESG association to gather people who could never gather in one place.”

The real purpose of the people attending today’s banquet wasn’t to network and build connections together.

It was to see Jeong Jin-ho, who was attending the celebration today.

“I’ve seen him in photos many times, but seeing him in person, he’s… how should I say it… he looks so kind.”

“That’s the scary part. He has the ability to make people let their guard down. Looking at that kind smile that reveals none of his sinister intentions actually gave me chills.”

The incidents that looked like coincidences piled upon coincidences.

Those horrifying accidents.

They all came from Gwangwoon.

But if you dig deeper, there was one person who created all these plans and made the decisions. That was Jeong Jin-ho.

The problem is that on the surface, Jeong Jin-ho doesn’t look like someone who would do such things.

We couldn’t talk long, but even in that short time, I felt he was a really pure person.

Especially when he gave his congratulatory address on the podium, he clearly looked nervous.

“I heard President Jeong Jin-ho rarely appears at official occasions like this.”

“Yes, I heard this is really the first time in a long while. So maybe he deliberately emphasized that appearance?”

“Then the smile and the appearance on the podium were all calculated?”

“Must be. What’s the reason Gwangwoon created the ESG association? Because they know the world now values a better image to the public over simply good technology and abilities. And they’re trying to use that as a weapon. Everyone here was surprised by President Jeong Jin-ho’s image being so different from what they expected, weren’t they?”

That was true.

At the center of every incident Gwangwoon has caused until now is that young man, but given that, he had the kindest image in the world.

“We’re forgetting President Jeong Jin-ho’s true nature to this extent, so how about the public? Just looking at SNS reactions, there are many saying he seems friendly. Especially since he already had a good image from steadily donating from his personal assets.”

Only then did they understand why Jeong Jin-ho was smiling from the moment he entered and showed a somewhat nervous appearance.

From beginning to end.

Everything was planned movement.

To imprint not just Gwangwoon but Jeong Jin-ho as a person’s friendly image onto the public.

“But I heard the one really running Gwangwoon isn’t President Jeong Jin-ho? Looking at his past, it absolutely couldn’t be…”

“That’s right. That’s why in this industry they call President Jeong Jin-ho ‘the Agent of God.’ And who that god is still hasn’t been revealed.”

When the company called Gwangwoon rapidly rose and took control of global finance.

Naturally, numerous agencies investigated their background.

And the conclusion they naturally reached was one.

Something is behind Gwangwoon.

Otherwise, a company that wasn’t even in the top 3 Korean securities firms, a gaming addict who just played games in his room. couldn’t have changed overnight.

“The Agent of God…”

“If you think about it, it’s a fitting phrase. We all have religion and believe in God, but we’ve never actually seen that form.”

The god moving Gwangwoon is the same.

No matter how many times the renowned intelligence agencies investigate, not a single clue about him has emerged.

“So we just need to do our assigned work well. Everyone here gathered for their own interests anyway. Because they know that if the ESG association is properly activated, it will have tremendous influence on companies worldwide from now on.”

These are people who have rolled around in this industry for decades and reached the pinnacle.

So when something happens, they all understand why it occurred.

That’s why they knew the importance of this ESG association.

So faster than anyone, they submitted applications to try to claim at least one seat.

“Going forward, our association will work in conjunction with Gwangwoon’s strategy team to evaluate companies. I think everyone knows who the first target is. It’s Ample. If we show that our influence can shake even Ample, all companies will have no choice but to watch our every move.”

That’s why Ample was an even better experimental target.

If the whole world sees this company shaken and brought down by the ESG association’s evaluation, they’ll bow their heads on their own from now on.

“But there are also places that have already noticed the danger of our association’s power and started checking us.”

They already knew where.

“You mean France?”

“Yes. He’s someone who has been foaming at the mouth over anything Gwangwoon-related since the old days, so naturally he wouldn’t view the ESG association favorably either. If we’re blocked from here, everyone will start ignoring the ESG association.”

Perong has a quick eye because he’s a politician.

Plus, he has the position of president, so his power can’t be ignored.

“But at the same time, that’s Perong’s weakness. If there’s an opening, we can attack anytime.”

“An opening…”

“What’s controversial in France right now? It’s pension reform and the Olympics. Perong wants to finish the reform before the Olympics at all costs to normalize the city that’s become a mess from protests.”

At that point, they grasped ESG Association Chairman Rendal’s meaning.

“Pour more oil on the protests?”

“Yes. Enough to set all of France on fire.”

“But how…”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier? We’ll be working in conjunction with Gwangwoon’s strategy team from now on.”

“Ah~.”

President Perong has always had a strong consciousness of wanting to be a president of reform.

So for him, they’ll bring about another Great Revolution in France.

1995.

Just like that day when France’s citizens’ Great Revolution stopped all industries and even the president declared surrender.

End